ECPI University Online Reviews of Associate in Network Security

I started the ECPI bachelor's program for network security in late 2018 and was super gung-ho from the start, as an adult who had already been working for 20+ years and constantly seeing people with less qualifications and a degree making more money. The first several months of classes were pretty typical of what I would expect of entry tier classes, mostly about making sure you understood how the numerous systems of turning in assignments worked and less about gaining any real information or knowledge.... Read More I expected that to stop at some point, and really get into learning things that made me feel more confident in my ability to get out of school and be ready for potential careers but with small exception the teachers just seem to want to pass you (Even for inadequate work stemming from never gaining the correct knowledge) to the next class. After the first year and change I decided to just go with the associate's degree since I figured I could at the very least carry that degree over into a school with higher standards and quality of teaching, but as I attempted to transfer I found out that the credit hours and degree isn't accepted for the 4 different schools I have attempted to transfer to. My associate's degree is now completed from ECPI, and despite attending 20 months of classes I feel that I have left their program with almost no knowledge because of how little the teachers care about ensuring you know the college and just passing you into the next class with cursory knowledge. The only tiny consolation is I now have an extra line to put on my resume hopefully leading to extra pay, but as soon as I get into any related field to my degree it will be a disaster for any company hiring me expecting any useful knowledge from said education.

Char location has a few good instructors but majority of the courses are taught mostly by two instructors. One instructor on majority days will sit and look at their iPad/MacBook for the entire 5 hours... and the other will talk more about his own educational pursuits or issues. I drove 30+ minutes daily in traffic, only to arrive and be told I can work on my homework. I personally have laptops, desktop pc and iPads, I do not need to drive and fight traffic to go to class to do my homework. For the... Read More amount of money that accelerated schools cost over all, and this school costs, the instructors should be lecturing something EVERYDAY. No excuse. Its laziness, and I wasted valuable time. Im not former Military so I have to pay for my education. I feel that ECPI Char, relies on the fact that they get a lot of Former Military, and most come into the school already knowing a lot due to their training, but if you dont have that, and your actually coming to learn 1st hand at ECPI Char, your not gonna get that. The instructors that I considered to be good, were usually part time, so you didnt get them for a lot of classes. The two main ones that dont, you would get for the majority of your classes. Also if you break any rules intentionally or unintentionally, you get suspended for an entire term, which means more time and of course more money. The length of time should definitely not be so long, considering you will probably wont get to repeat that class for a year..ECPI Char, your complacent and you need to do better.

Worst decision ever IT teachers do not help they judge, they want students that know what they are doing because they do not want to teach. They do not support the military it's a lie, they are constantly telling us how we were learning nothing while in service. They constantly look at ex-military as if we are just getting a free ride as if we did not earn our GI Bill. Went through school but did not really learn anything but they are quick at failing you and making you pay for another semester,... Read More it is all about the money not teaching.

ECPI was a great experience for me. I started out at the Virginia Beach campus and then finished at the Manassas campus. Both campuses offered quality educational experiences with very qualified professors who genuinely cared about their students success. Like others have noted, the fast-paced learning environment isn't for everyone. I enjoyed the experience for a couple of reasons. You get information crammed in 24/7 for 5 weeks straight. No time off to forget what you had learned. I also liked... Read More it because I started college later than my peers and I chose ECPI because I wanted to graduate at an accelerated pace. My program director, Dr. V. from the Manassas campus, was an amazing instructor and mentor and I personally hold her accountable for helping me graduate with a 3.6 GPA. Most of my instructors were very personal with the students and open to any questions that would help their students succeed not only in the classroom, but also in the professional world beyond. ECPI really helped me in my post-grad process as well. I got help getting my resume together, and the career orientation course prepared me for the formal interview process. I went to one of their career fairs approximately 3 months before graduating, and ended up with multiple interviews and a couple job offers. I ended up taking one of the offers from a company that was at that career fair, and I've been happily employed as an IT consultant in the DC area since. I can't express how much I appreciate what ECPI has done for my life. I am a proud ECPI alum and I always encourage people looking to change their lives to look into ECPI.

After attending community college, and not getting the results I wanted, I transferred my credits to ECPI (Roanoke Campus). As cliche as it sounds, it really was the best decision I have ever made. The program was great, well thought out, and extremely hands on. My instructors were extremely knowledgeable and taught in a way that we could all relate to and understand. Even though I had credits transfer in, I still took some of the classes over again to gain additional knowledge from another perspective.... Read More About 2 months before graduation I did my externship with a large manufacturing company about 5 minutes from my house. Both of my peers at my externship site were also ECPI graduates from some time ago, and wanted me to stay after my term was over, however my campus decided to offer me a job as their network administrator so I took that instead. IT focuses mainly on certifications, and the classes provided don't revolve around the certs, but they certainly prepare you, and push you to get certified. All of the certifications are provided at a discounted cost (15 dollars I believe) while you are a student, then you are allowed so many after you graduate (I think 5 certs at 30 dollars a pop). Compare that to 150 or ever 500 dollars per cert...you make out like a bandit. If you really want to jump start your career and go straight into the field, ECPI is certainly the place to go. I don't regret it at all, and even followed through and am currently doing my Bachelors program though them (although they do provide a Masters also!)

I attended ECPI University and graduated in 2009. The admissions process was smooth and going through financial aid was also very simple. You will be challenged here. You have to put in the time and effort to succeed during and after school. The school also has a great career services team that assisted me in finding an I.T. position right out of school. I have used the knowledge and skills I learned at ECPI University to be a successful System Administrator, Network Administrator, I.T. Manager and... Read More Product Manager.